Siena Heights women's basketball notches 1st WHAC win

Sunday

Nov 18, 2012 at 7:00 AM

SHU cruises past league foe Aquinas, 80-49

By John KoserDaily Telegram Sports Writer

The Siena Heights University women's basketball team picked up its first home win of the season, knocking off Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference opponent Aquinas 80-49 on Saturday afternoon. It was also Siena's first conference win of the season.

"It feels good to get this win," said Siena Heights coach Sue Syljebeck. "Aquinas is always a great program. They're currently down their two best players, including their star point guard. We capitalized on those weaknesses and came out strong."

Siena Heights (2-1, 1-1 WHAC) jumped out to an early 11-2 lead. Siena was moving the ball well on offense, and its full court press was stifling Aquinas' freshman point guard.

Siena had no issues controlling the pace of the game, often driving the ball to the basket and drawing fouls. With eight minutes left in the first half, Siena was already in the bonus. Siena Heights made the most of its opportunities, finishing 19-for-20 from the foul line.

Aquinas struggled to penetrate the Siena defense, often unable to get near the basket and settling for 3-point attempts. While Aquinas did make a few of its 3-pointers, going 7-for-23 in the game, they were few and far between. Siena's steady offense allow them to pull away, taking a 38-18 lead with a minute left in the half.

Aquinas finished the half on a 7-0 run and went into halftime with some momentum. For the first time since the opening tip, Aquinas players were smiling.

Siena would have none of it.

Siena opened the half with a 9-0 run, which quickly became a 16-2 run. The sudden barrage of points from Siena put the game out of reach.

"I told the girls that a good team wouldn't let them back to into the game," said Syljebeck. "We wanted to come out of the half and put them away, get rid of any hopes they had of making a comeback."

Siena Heights senior forward Amanda Duke helped propel the team forward, recording her second double-double in as many games. Duke finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

"We came out pumped," said Duke. "We knew we had to come out hard or risk letting them back in the game."

Having rebuilt their 20-point lead, Siena began to focus on getting some of their younger players some playing time.

Even with younger, less experienced players on the court, Siena still continued to expand their lead. With less than four minutes left in the game, Siena held a 74-44 lead.

Siena's Morgan Warfield continued to tear it up in the second half, recording three of her five 3-pointers. Warfield led the team with 15 points and added two steals.

"It feels good to win," said Warfield. "We have more to prove than just this game,though."

Chandler Levit finished with 14 points and four rebounds, and Sierra Calhoun had 12 points, four rebounds and four blocks. Jen Jasinski finished with 11 points and four rebound for Siena, while Grace Howrigon added eight points, four rebounds, nine assists and two steals.

Siena Heights will host Adrian College on Tuesday in a battle of cross-town rivals.

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